Dreaming of a White Christmas

I think we are going to get it if it keeps snowing like it has been all day today. I have been super busy putting together the shopping cart for classes for the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival. (Sign-ups start January 1st!). I have the coding pretty much done and it has been tested. I tweaked it a bit today, so all it needs is to be tested again and then it should be ready for launch! Oh, and for those curious about time, I am thinking Noon PST January 1st, will be the exact time it goes up!

I have been knitting quite a bit more. Only the weather has been so dark I haven't had a good day to photograph in awhile. So, consider this a warm woolly post and catch up!

First up, I finished this scarf for my grandmother for Christmas. It's been blocked and I simply love it. Knot Another Hat has had this pattern knit up in several different yarns over the years and I have admired it for a long time. Now it's my turn to knit one! The pattern is Cable Scarf #112 by Barbara Selesnick (Rav link). The yarn I used was Alpaca with a Twist Highlander in color #0096. There are pluses and minuses to this yarn. On the one hand it is super soft and tweedy, which I really love. On the other hand I wasn't very happy because there was 1 knot in the first skein and at least 4 knots in the second skein. The only positive was I tried out spit splicing (with water) and it worked perfectly, so at least I didn't have to sew in all of those ends!

Next up I knit up an earflap hat and mitts for X. He is definitely going to put it to good use this winter. The hat actually stays on if I loosely tie the ties under his chin too. The yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash Paints in color #9862 Tropical Seas. The pattern for the Earflap Hat (Rav Link) is my pattern Mt Hood Earflap Hat, which is knit top-down.  I find it easier to fit the hat to the right size if it is knit top down. The mitts (rav link) are an adaption from the free pattern by Susan B Anderson for the Spud & Chloe Blog. I had to size them up a bit since the pattern is for a newborn.

Next I knit Blair (rav link) and X matching Turn-A-Square Hats. This was out of the leftovers from the baby hoody I knit X and a ball of Noro Silk Garden Blair picked out while we were in Dublin. I love this pattern so much! It's simple and has been a favorite for every guy I have knit it for. I did adapt the pattern down to a smaller size (specs are on Ravelry) for X, which was really easy.

Lastly, I knit a pair of mitts for Blair (rav link). These are my Hood River Top-Down Mitts. The yarn is my Superwash Worsted in color Columbia River. I actually started and finished the first one at Oregon Flock & Fiber. I started the 2nd one and then got busy with other things. So it was fun to come back to these and finish them off for the cold weather. Blair has been using them while driving to work and he says they keep his hands nice and toasty for the drive.

Production has also slowed down a bit around here since the counter to my skein winder decided to die. After 4 years the little plastic counter arm became brittle and broke. It took some interesting adventures, but I finally ordered one from Fricke and now I am back in business! Look for some updates in the next couple of days (hopefully!!!). I got quite a bit of roving dyed, since I don't need the counter for that!So they should be posted up soon. That's all for now! Happy Knitting!

Ornaments!

This year I really wanted to have a soft tree for the baby. One without delicate glass ornaments. Instead have knitted and soft, unbreakable ornaments. I actually came across this idea a couple of years ago from Yarn Pirate, so it isn't 100% original. I have had lots of fun making ornaments, which knit up super fast. Here are the ones I have completed so far:

 

First up, I received this ornament kit (rav link) from Knot Another Hat at their Holiday Party. It was lots of fun and I enjoyed receiving this little item. It is made from a beaded silk yarn, which was awesome to knit up. Of course X had to add his own touch to it. Does anyone know how to get cookie goobers out of silk?

 

Next up, I purchased this little kit (rav link) last year. It's the Snowman Ornament from Knit/Purl. It was really fun to knit up. I love how adorable it is. The only change I made was I knit my own tiny i-cord nose for it. I was a little afraid that my little guy would accidentally eat the fimo nose that comes in the kit if it was only glued on. This was a quick and easy fix and I feel confident it will stay on with it being sewn on. Also being pretty high up on the tree will help too!

 

Lastly, I knit up these little guys. The patterns are both free on ravelry. It doesn't really give a gauge so I knit mine out of Dale of Norway Baby Ull and Addi #1US needles. They are characters from My Neighbor Totoro. I really love how they turned out. I will say that the little guy (rav link) is a really fun adventure to knit. The bigger one (rav link) is more of a pain that requires quite a bit more concentration than the mother of a 9 month old really has. I do want to knit it again and see if it goes easier the second time. 

I have a couple other things I want to make up, so we shall see if there is time to complete them this year. If not, I have a feeling I'll have a soft tree for a few more years to come, so I can always make them next year!

I have been super busy working on the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival. If you would like to help me out with a bit of promotion, check out the thread I started on Ravelry here! Thanks!

Happy December!

It's that time of year again!

Time for FREE SHIPPING! This year I am offering FREE SHIPPING to US & Canada only, since majority of my orders are shipped there. Just my way of giving back for the holiday season!

Also, I have another shop announcement. I have decided to increase the price of my Silky Sock to $32 a skein, however the price change won't go into effect until January 1st. So consider this your blog reader discount! I have also decided to lower the price on my Superwash Sport yarn to $20 per skein. Which has already been changed on the website! So go stock up for the holidays!

Dye Your Own Yarn!

I have put together a little Dye-Your-Own-Yarn Kit!

This is the dye I use everyday for my yarn. It is called One Shot. What makes it so wonderful to work with is you don't have to add anything to the dye other than boiling water. So no vinegar or anything! I love working with it. Each of the kits comes with a set of 1oz bottles of dye in primary colors (blue, yellow, and magenta). Also included is a 1/2 oz bottle of synthrapol (soap) and a skein of yarn of Superwash Sport Yarn. More yarns may be added later. The directions included give a choice of dyeing your yarn a solid color, or (my favorite) rainbow dyeing your yarn! Check them out in the shop! This would make an excellent holiday gift!

New! Copper Leaf Shawl Pin

Plover Designs has a new shawl pin design out just in time for the holidays:

It's a new copper shawl pin with leaf design! I currently have 3 in stock, so if you want this perfect shawl pin for yourself or the loved one in your life, you should act fast! I hope everyone is having fun gearing up for the Thanksgiving this next week!

Baby Hoody

I finished something!

I finished this super cute hoody for X. He has already grown out of the smallest size of the Debbie Bliss Hoody (Rav Link). The pattern is from Special Knits: 22 Gorgeous Handknits for Babies and Toddlers. I knit the 2nd size up, but with the 3rd size length. X is long and skinny, so hopefully this hoody will last him a long time. It sure is nice to just slip it on and go. I started it on our flight to Dublin and I finished a couple weeks after we got back, quick and easy. I knit it out of Cascade 220 Superwash Quattro in color #1929 Long Beach.

Hopefully I will be back soon. I have been super busy signing up vendors for the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival!!! There still are a few spaces left, so if you have thought about being a vendor, make sure to get your application in soon! Thanks!

Happy November!

I have decided to extend the $10 yarn sale through the end of November!

There is still lots of good yarn available, like this California Poppy Alpaca Lace! The perfect thing to brighten up those rainy fall days. Also lots of yarn good for getting a head start on those holiday projects! I may be adding more over the next few days, so make sure to check it out!

Dublin, Ireland

I finally got all of our photos together from our trip:



I hope you enjoy looking through them! We had a great trip! We hope to go back again someday! (If you click on the slide show it will take you to the album with captions for each photo)

OFFF & Valencia

Ok, I am going to get caught up a little at a time. First off, here is the booth at Oregon Flock & Fiber:

As you can see it is packed with lots of yarn and goodies. It was loads of fun, as usual. Only Sunday it poured down rain on us, which is a first for this show. Still it was lots of fun to see everyone and hang out with Donna and Chrissy of Gardiner Yarn Works.

The Thursday before OFFF I finished the Valencia Sweater! Perfect timing since setup was on Friday. This is the front as modeled by Maud. It turned out a little big on me. I probably should have stuck with the smaller size, since the ribbing gives it lots of room. I might just need to knit another one of these to find out! Maud is also sporting the Farmers Market Bag also by Gardiner Yarn Works. A perfect accent to the sweater in my opinion.

The back of the Valencia sweater has another twisting cable pattern, which is much easier than it looks. You can see it puckers a little at the top of the cable. That's because I didn't have enough time to block it before the show. Now that I have washed it that part lays flat. I really loved knitting this sweater. I love that it is all in one piece, including the cap sleeves. The pattern is well written and a joy to knit!

As a reminder, the $10 or less yarn sale extravaganza is still going on in the shop! This includes many favorites including Silky Sock yarn, Twist, Wool Singles, and more! It's perfect for the holidays, which are right around the corner. Make sure you check it out!

Big Fall Sale!

So while I was traveling I thought a lot about my shop. I have decided to have a big clearance sale. I really want to try out some new yarns and fibers, but that means clearing out some other yarn. 

So, I thought it would be awesome to have a huge sale, with big discounts! Select Yarn for $10 or less! Patterns for $1. Plus more stuff! You can check it out on the Sale Page of the Shop!

Also, don't forget if you purchase 4 or more items you get free shipping in the US and Canada! 5 or more items for free shipping everywhere else. This includes sale items and patterns. Enjoy!